Resources to Support Children’s Emotional Growth
Worksheets & Activity Sheets
work sheet
The Adventures of Dooney with Donkey with Curious Jay Understanding Differences
Parent / Teacher Tip
Role-Play Solutions to Common Conflicts
Purpose: Children learn to manage disagreements by practicing responses in a safe environment.
Example Activities:
Act out a scenario where two students want the same toy. Ask children to suggest ways to share or take turns.
Role-play “How to apologize” or “How to ask for help” scenarios.
Daily Check-Ins
Purpose: Helps children express emotions regularly, preventing buildup of stress or frustration.
How to Implement:
Start the day by asking each child to pick a “feeling card” (happy, sad, frustrated, excited).
End the day with a short reflection: “One thing that made me happy today… One thing I struggled with…”
Teach Emotional Vocabulary
Purpose: Children understand and name their emotions, which improves self-awareness.
Activities:
Use “emotion charts” with faces and words.
Ask: “Which emotion do you feel right now? Why?”
Read books or poems about feelings and discuss the characters’ emotions.
Encourage Mindful Breathing
Purpose: Teaches children to manage stress and calm down before reacting.
Activities:
“Belly breathing” exercise: put hands on stomach, inhale slowly, exhale slowly.
Use short guided meditation or visualization exercises (e.g., imagine a calm place).
Articles
Psychologist urges attention for heavy sweating in children
MONTEGO Bay psychologist Dr Pearnel Bell is calling for research into whether there is a relationship between hyperhidrosis – a condition of the nervous system that causes heavy sweating – and conduct disorder in children.
Start the birds and bees talk by age 3, expert says
MANY parents are anxious; others dread the moment that they will have to talk about sex education with their little ones. However, clinical psychologist Dr Pearnel Bell says
Life skills to teach your child
WITH parenting it’s very easy to get overprotective and get carried away with wanting to make the right decisions for your children. But clinical psychologist Dr Pearnel Bell said
How to spot a potential abuser
NO relationship is perfect, and yes, there will be disagreements. But how certain are you that your partner would never become abusive?Clinical Psychologist Dr Pearnel Bell says
Adult children of divorce speak out
VORCE is the most difficult phase of any marriage for all involved, but these can be even more troubling waters to navigate when children are in the picture.
Dealing with the anxious child
ANXIETY is one of the most common mental conditions affecting children and adolescents, generally presenting as aggressive or extremely passive behaviours.
Could you have borderline personality disorder?
BORDERLINE bipolar disorder is a complex and often undiagnosed mental health condition marked by long-term unhealthy sporadic thoughts and actions.
Step-parenting teenagers
CLINICAL psychologist Dr Pearnel Bell says if you have found yourself in a home where your stepchild or children don’t seem to care for you at all, or declare their dislike for you, the most basic emotions that you must engage as you transition into this step-parenting role are patience and understanding.
Older Men Dating Younger Women
I have been approached a number of times this past week to provide psychological perspective on why younger women date older men — men who could be their fathers. The buzz about the psychology behind younger women dating older men began with the incident in the past week
When toddler emotions explode!
EVEN the most well-behaved children may at some point display mouthy, defiant or bratty behaviour. And this, according to clinical psychologist Dr Pearnel Bell
Identifying emotional abuse and knowing when to move on
Clinical psychologist Dr Pearnel Bell said that it is unfortunate that people continue to dismiss and downplay emotional abuse because
Practising good mental health
MENTAL HEALTH is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realise their abilities, learn and work well, and contribute to their community.
Fathers crucial to children’s development
SINGLE parenting is the reality of many Jamaican families, and more often than not in these arrangements, the fathers are absent.
Mad in Jamaica - One in four will develop mental illness
With the view that mental health is seen as the ‘bastard baby’ of the health system,
Seek counselling for sexual trauma, urges psychologist
CINICAL psychologist Dr Pearnel Bell is appealing to individuals who have experienced sexual trauma to seek counselling services available in the public health sector.
Clinical Psychologist Says Persons Can Enjoy Season
The festive season is usually associated with families and friends coming together to celebrate and socialise, but with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the need to practise physical distancing, many will be left feeling the Christmas blues.